Ever heard of the Product Safety and Metrology Bill? You will do. It is part of Labour’s massive legislative programme and the innocuous sounding bill has already led the Sunday Express to brand it a “Brexit betrayal”. But was it really?
The bill will give Labour the power to recognise EU product safety rules updated by the EU where appropriate, saving money and time for businesses trading in the EU, something hard pressed companies and some trade unions have been demanding.
The bill also undoes some of the Tories Retained EU Law Bill which let individual ministers change or entirely scrap laws inherited from the EU (including ‘bonfire’ of EU employment rights – which the Tories were forced to abandon).
Labour’s bill will make it easier to align with EU agri-food standards which helps companies trying to do cross-border business in the UK.
Although not a done deal the UK manufacturers body Make UK said the bill “removes the uncertainty” created by the Tory Retained EU Law and gives the British government the “future ability to assess and implement EU product regulatory requirements into UK law for specific manufacturing product markets and categories.”
If all goes smoothly we expect more from the Labour government on alignment – crucial for trade unions will be making sure the UK implements new employment protections that have been introduced in the EU since Brexit such as those giving rights to digital and platform workers.
